


Portside Station Novigrad

by TheHirsch



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Language, Firefighter AU, Geralt is a single dad, Modern Day Novigrad, Multi, first responder au, roach is a doggo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29885943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHirsch/pseuds/TheHirsch
Summary: The witchers & Co are working for the fire brigade of Novigrad (which is now a town in Poland). After Letho got killed on the job the station takes in a new candidate and the command structure changes. A story about their days on the job and the personal struggles they face.
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Portside Station Novigrad

**Author's Note:**

> Dear reader,  
> first of all: Sorry this A/N might be slightly longer than my usual. I want to preface that the first chapter, is technically episode 0 and more like a pilot.  
> Practically since I sat in fire academy myself (I'm a volunteer) I have wanted to write a story about firefighters, make sure it was as accurate as possible, etc. I took very long to plan this, to figure out who would work on which position best since I wanted to leave their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses as they are. And I'm still not done. I felt like a chief myself when figuring out their ideal positions.  
> In this series, I want to give every single one of them their own plot to deal with because we are all just humans. And while I'm still not sure how exactly the identity of this project will look like I'm very sure that I want to avoid all the things that drive me nuts in shows like Chicago Fire, Station 19, or 9-1-1 (no shade lol).  
> I picked Poland because the Witcher is Polish but also because I'm way more used to European standards than the US-American ones (which I only know from drama shows).  
> Also, it's been a while since I wrote that big of a cast so buckle up... I'll also be incorporating Shani, Dijkstra, Roché, Ves, Valdo, and a few others in roles outside the firehouse. 
> 
> This episode 0, this pilot, is just to test if there is even a market for stories like this. (I can just keep daydreaming about them for that matter). 
> 
> Of course, similarities to real people, places, and events are purely accidental. Blechi or Mr. commissioner when you are reading this, pls don't fire me :/

It was around one in the afternoon when the alarm rang once again. Aiden had been cooking, had to turn off the stove.   
“Kurwa, can you watch the food?” Aiden yelled down the hall, to where Jaskier was sitting.   
“I will, Kurwa,” Jaskier yelled back.  
“No. This kurwa is coming with us. Grab your gear, Jaskier, you're riding with me.” With the bang of the door to the garage, Vesemir was out of sight. In his hand, he was holding a copy of the summon. “I need you to cover this before the asshole from The Picture is faster.”  
“Fuck.” Aiden stumbled back to make sure the food was really off the heat and nothing would catch fire while they were gone.   
Of course, he ended up the last on the engine, Lambert, who had to wait for him to get on first, gave him a look.   
Embarrassed Aiden hurried to jump into his trousers and boots, and swung himself on the engine.   
“Let's roll,” Eskel said without wanting for Lambert to close the door first.   
Eskel turned in his seat so he could see the three detail leaders and Aiden. “Make sure that doesn't happen again.” He unfolded the report that had been printed. “The caller is 43 years old and the mother of a twelve-year-old. He and his friends were playing in an abandoned factory in the neighbourhood… and they didn't come home for lunch.”  
“Why didn't she go looking for them?” Geralt asked.   
“Not every parent is a courageous firefighter on their day job, like you,” Andrzej commented without taking his eyes off the road.   
The factory was positioned in the industrial district and the engine took only five minutes to get there, the ambulance followed right behind.   
A woman in a deep red cardigan was standing in the former parking lot of the factory.   
Eskel grabbed his helmet from under the window and got off the engine first while telling the rest of the crew to follow.   
Vesemir went to talk to her.   
“I’m so glad you are finally here,” the woman, she sounded upset. “I’m just worried something collapsed on top of them.”  
“We will do our best to find them,” Vesemir reassured her. “For now we need you to stay calm. 

“Seems like the wall collapsed and there is a tunnel behind it," said Geralt and let go of the radio.   
"Check it out but be careful..."   
Lambert looked at Geralt and rolled his eyes. Geralt responded with a shrug and turned on his torch to step through the hole.  
"To me, it looks like an old metro tunnel? But the tracks end right here at the wall," he moved his light. "When was the house built."  
Geralt let go of the radio, while he waited for a response he fastened his helmet properly.   
"The mother says not older than fifty years..." Aiden said over the radio.   
"And yet already abandoned." Geralt said to himself without activating the radio.   
"Get back up here. We're preparing to search the tunnels."  
"Copy that." Geralt climbed back through the hole in the basement's wall and met the others outside.   
"Chief, I talked to the office and they say there is no tunnel in this area on the maps they have at their disposal."  
"Then tell them to keep looking and make them clear three kids are in danger." Vesemir paused and looked around to see if everyone was listening.   
"Okay. Pretend it's the sewers down there. We know nothing about this tunnel or what it might be connected to. As usually Geralt and Lambert, Findt and Connari, Coen and Renfri, and Eskel you go with them. Andrzej, place a repeater just behind the broken wall. And now go, don't waste time." Vesemir frowned slightly.   
"And don't forget," -- Eskel added -- "only the red torches and radios, and leave your phones on the engine if they don't have an airtight case."  
Aiden mimicked an explosion which earned him Coen's elbow in his side.   
It took them less than thirty seconds to get their great off the engine in an orderly fashion.   
This time Eskel went down first inspected what was left of the tracks. They were rusty but still recognisable as such. In the distance, he could hear water dripping.   
Eskel took the radio which he had clipped into the strap of his SCBA. "The section close to the hole seems to be ventilated."  
"Copy," Vesemir answered.   
The light that came from the basement was interrupted over and over again when the crew stepped through the hole one by one and turned on their troches.  
Every single one of them was routinely staying close to their buddy.   
"There might be bats or rats down here," Eskel reminded them. "Keep your eyes out for any traces of the boys. Keep a close eye on your alarms and trust your gut. As always water and deeper areas... Blah blah. You know the drill."  
The group started moving, Andrzej stayed back to set up the repeater. It would give the radio signal a better reach, which was also limited.   
"Better keep your distance to the power rail, a good habit to pick up,” Findt said to Connari, who walked next to him between the tracks.   
They adjusted where they walked right away.   
Soon the crew saw an old station but there was no trace of the boys and the way up had been bricked-up.   
The walls were out of bricks, every now and then a few roots had grown through the crevasses on the search for water, moss and lichens were growing all over the walls. Every now and then a mushroom grew on the porous stone, white mycelium around it like a net.   
"Cordyceps..." Lambert mumbled while he let the beam of his torch wander.   
"Hmm?" Renfri asked.   
"... grows at dark, damp places. The spores turn you into a zombie." Lambert made a dramatic pause. "Last I encountered it was in the subway of Seattle, The air was filled with spores... When I played the Last Of Us 2. And the tunnels were packed with zombies, trying to rip your trapezius out with their teeth!”   
"You're not funny," Eskel said after he had rolled his eyes.   
"Aiden thinks I'm funny," Lambert insisted.   
"His humour is just as broken as yours."  
Awkward silence followed until Connari dared to ask.   
"Does it exist in real life?"   
"Yes it does--" Lambert said with an ominous tone of voice.   
"But only infects insects like ants and it doesn't grow here, it's only found in South America. He's just messing with you."  
The tunnel started to descend abruptly, it had built that way and was still intact.   
The air became, colder, damper and smelled more and more earthy, musty and foul.  
"Puh... If they didn't turn around here they really wanted to learn it the hard way," Geralt grumbled.   
"And we wouldn't be down here looking for them," Renfri added.   
The tunnel went horizontal again but a couple of meters in front of them they could see a hole, five meters of the tunnel had caved down.   
Eskel motioned the rest to stay where they were as he carefully went to access the situation.   
The other tunnel met the metro at an angle and was built slightly beneath it. The tunnel was round on top but with rectangular side walls and floor. The diameter was significantly smaller than the metro tunnel. One direction had been completely blocked by rubble, the other seemed to be clear to enter. The tunnel was filled with water; Eskel how was uncertain how deep it was. The rubble would have made it easy to climb down.   
The walls were made out of porous concrete from the soviet era and he had reason not to trust it.   
"Soviet tunnel. Waterlogged," he stepped away from the edge.   
"Should we split up?" Geralt asked.   
"Just like in the movies," Lambert smirked.   
"We should avoid that." Eskel appeared to be thinking. "Imagine you are a teenager... Which is more interesting the soviet tunnel or a metro tube?"   
"Clearly the soviet tunnel," Connari suggested. They were not that far away from being a teenager themselves. "Could lead to treasure, guns or whatever."   
"Exactly. Now, who of you has the halligan tool?"   
Refri stepped forward and handed it to him.  
"Findt.” He motioned him to follow. Findt nodded, he was the one with the gauge, which he had already running and always holding on hip level. Eskel stepped down on the rubble just enough so he could test the depth of the water with the tool.   
Findt stayed by his side, in case he fell.   
Small ripples went through the water when the tool was dipped into it. The water was ten centimetres deep at the spot. He checked again for good measure.   
In the light of his and Findt's torch, it appeared like the water had been disturbed heavily earlier. It was muddy and still swirly.   
A sharp smell crept into their nose and they turned to look at each other, at the same time the gauge beeped angrily.  
The two turned on their heels and went back to where the others were standing.   
"Ammonia... 30 ppm where we stood. Also slightly higher CO2 and methane." Findt pressed reset to get the real-time readings.   
"Isn't ammonia lighter than air?"   
"Not if it's mixed in with water vapour, in this case from someone wading through it," Findt explained calmly.   
"Masks up, let's go let's not waste any time."   
Eskel took off his helmet and gloves and held it between his knees. Routinely he tested the fit with the heel of his hand, twisted on the connector and then opened the airflow up. And put on his helmet and gloves once again.   
Every one of them was of acceptable speed, and ready only one moment later.   
"Findt you shadow me. And I go first." Eskel announced. This was not up for debate, if they ran into trouble it was on him anyway.   
The other tunnel was not only narrower but also less high.   
"There's no need to be nervous," Findt said as quietly as he could.   
"I'm not," Connari stammered.   
"I can literally hear your breathing. Try to think about something nice. There is literally nothing to be afraid of right now."  
Silence behind him, Findt kept walking he, could not turn around.   
"Okay, who is behind you?" Findt asked.   
"Coën, why?"   
"Coën might not be the most chatty but he is a competent firefighter. He has your back... we always have each other's backs. Right?"   
Coën hummed in agreement.   
The tunnel of them was a void, roots hung down every now in then like greasy hair and unlike the metro tunnel, it was built in a perfectly straight line.   
"Okay, " Connari said trying to sound tough.   
"What exactly makes you nervous?" Findt asked.   
"This is a place that has been forgotten, you know since it's not on any map and they could have left anything down here..."  
"It's what we do. We help those who can't help themselves. We have the equipment to keep us safe, we have each other, and most importantly knowledge and experience."  
"Yeah..."   
Findt could hear how they actively tried to calm their breathing down.   
In front of Eskel, the tunnel made a sharp ninety-degree turn, the officer slowed down to look around the corner first.   
"It does get more branches leaving off, this tunnel ends fifty meters from here. I can see the wall," he reported. "Come on, stay close together."   
Eskel lead them in the first hall to the left. A khaki door was half-open, big enough for someone to slip through. The lower part had oxidised in the water. That also indicated that there was sometimes more water than now. There was a sign on the door, of course in Russian. It didn't look like a warning sign.   
The door was low and Eskel had to bend over in order to fit. And everyone in the group was happy to be wearing a helmet.   
The ceiling was higher than in the tunnel, the furniture had been left behind for the most part. There were several desks and metal closets by the walls.   
"Quiet!" Geralt said suddenly. Everyone stopped moving to listen.   
Someone was in the room, somewhere in the back where their lights couldn't reach they heard shuddering breathing noises.   
Eskel nodded and without hesitation started walking towards the noise. "We're firefighters," he announced himself, before directing his light around the corner.   
One of the missing children was sitting on a desk, back against the wall and knees to his chest. He appeared to be cold. The boy was blinded by the torch, appeared scared.  
"Where are your friends?"  
"They went further in but I was scared. They made fun of me. And I don't wanna go back without them." He scooted further back.   
"Alright. Coen, Renfri: Go back to where you have a signal. Tell them we have found one of the boys, possibly all of them, ask them if they had any breakthroughs on the maps maybe there is a shorter way down here. Findt, Connari: Stay with him, first aid. The rest will come with me to search for the other two."  
Findt gave the gauge to Eskel, who then motioned Geralt's detail to follow him. They left the room and continued their search methodically. In a room further back that appeared to be a storage room of some kind, they saw light glisten, like an LED torch.  
It appeared the firefighters had been noticed too, a voice called out. "Hello? Help."  
Eskel tried to push the door open so they would fit though, it took the help of the other two to get it to move.   
The room appeared to have been used for storage of some kind, it was filled to the brink with shelves and metal closets one of which had fallen over and trapped one of the boys underneath.   
"Geralt, get Findt, tell him to bring the kit. Then help the boy to get out of here. We need a little change of plan."  
"Getting Findt and the kit. Get the child out of here with Connari. Got it." Geralt repeated and turned around.

Connari put the first aid kit they had been carrying down on the old desk. As soon as Eskel and the others were out of sight. Findt stepped forward and put his helmet down and took off his mask.   
"My name is Findt," said Findt, keeping a close eye on the boy's body language. "This is Connari. What's your name?"  
He had lifted his chin and looked at Findt. "Stanisław." (AN: sorry for that)  
"Alright, Stanisław. We're gonna help you and your friends get out of here." He stepped closer to where what could be considered the boy's personal space.. He handed him his mask. "Take this and hold it close to your face. Does anything hurt?"  
"My eyes hurt a bit and my throat is itchy because of the bad smell down here."   
"That's why I want you to take a few breaths of clean air." Findt had this soft tone of voice again. If the boy panicked nobody would be helped.   
Findt turned his head as he heard steps. Geralt stepped into sight.   
Geralt sighed audibly when seeing Findt without his mask on. "Eskel needs you, says you need to bring the kit. I'll help Connari get the boy out of here."   
"Okay, this Geralt. He's really nice and he will help you out of here, while I'll take care of your friends." Findt said to the boy. Who nodded in response.   
Findt put on his mask and helmet before zipping the kit shut and shouldering it. When he walked past Geralt, he felt a hand on his shoulder.   
"Don't worry, I won't tell Eskel," said Geralt, while he had dealt with scared kids before. "Would have done the same."  
Findt exhaled and nodded before hurrying past the other and out into the hall.   
Eskel motioned Findt to step over to where he and Lambert had taken positions to try to lift the closet off the boy.   
"What do you need me to do?" Findt put down his kit on the locker to his right.   
"I will count to three. On three we will lift it and you pull him out, okay?"  
"Understood." Findt grabbed the boy under his arms, ready to pull.   
"Lambert? One... two... three..." The two lifted the closet, which creaked. It appeared to be still filled with things and Findt pulled the boy, almost stumbling backwards. As soon as he was clear, Eskel and Lambert let go; the closet fell with a bang which made the shelves in the room rattle.  
"I need more light," Findt announced and kept holding the boy, to keep his face as far away from the water surface as he could. The others slightly moved to give him more light.   
"Should we carry him out now or wait until we have a spineboard?"  
Findt sighed and looked up at the squadron-leader.  
"I am asking for your call."  
Findt squatted down to check the boy over, he did that thoroughly, which took a minute longer but he wanted to make sure he didn’t miss any important details.   
"He's hypothermic, scared and in pain. He doesn't appear to have a head or spine injury but there is no way to know for sure."  
"Alright. Get him on the cloth stretcher. Findt and Lambert you carry him. I'll take the other kid. And then let's get the fuck out of here." Eskel bend over and picked up the kid.  
Findt rolled out the cloth stretcher and Lambert silently helped him transfer the injured boy. 

“Oh gods,” the mother exclaimed when she saw the team return with the other two boys. She was sitting on the footstep in the back of the ambulance. She did not appear to be mad at them, just relieved that they had been found… and scared that one of them was in a stretcher.   
And Eskel realised it was her kid on the stretcher.   
“Why did you go down there?” she got up to make room.   
“We wanted to be diggers, like the tunnel explorers in Moscow.”  
“Oh, honey…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3


End file.
